Make Krishna your inner home.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
तुल्यनिन्दास्तुतिर्मौनी सन्तुष्टो येन केनचित् |अनिकेतः स्थिरमतिर्भक्तिमान्मे प्रियो नरः ||१२-१९||
tulyanindāstutirmaunī santuṣṭo yena kenacit . aniketaḥ sthiramatirbhaktimānme priyo naraḥ ||12-19||
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Meaning
One who is equal in blame and praise, silent, content with whatever comes, without fixed possessiveness of home, steady in mind, and full of devotion, is dear to Me.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
A dear devotee is steady, content, quiet, and not dependent on praise.
Word-by-word meaning
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Explanation
Krishna describes a person whose inner home is in Him. Such a devotee can live anywhere, receive praise or blame, and remain stable because devotion is the anchor.
Read the traditional commentary
This final verse of the portrait gathers its qualities into one luminous image. The dear devotee treats censure and praise alike (tulya-nindā-stutiḥ), for his worth does not hang on others' opinions. He is maunī, dwelling in inner silence, and content with whatever comes (santuṣṭo yena kenacit), making no demands on life's provision.
He is aniketaḥ, "homeless" — not necessarily without shelter, but unattached to any fixed comfort, his true home being God. His mind is steady (sthira-matiḥ), and above all he is bhaktimān, full of devotion. With this verse Krishna completes the description of the ideal bhakta: equanimity, contentment, freedom, and steadiness, all crowned and unified by love of the Lord.
In daily life
Do not let praise or blame decide your identity.
A creator should not become inflated by likes or broken by criticism.
Try this today
Spend one day not checking validation metrics repeatedly.
My inner home is Krishna, not public opinion.Reflect
Do praise and blame control my identity?
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Quick check
What does ‘maunī’ mean in this verse?
Krishna on steadiness, in other chapters
- Verse 6.22Once you find the inner treasure, nothing seems more valuable and no sorrow, however heavy, can shake you.
- Verse 14.24True stability comes from being self-abiding, so that gain and loss, praise and blame, lose their power to move you.
- Verse 2.70Peace comes not from satisfying all desires but from developing such inner fullness that desires can arise and pass without disturbing your center.
- Verse 4.22Stay content with what comes, free of comparison, and even-minded in success or failure — then no action can bind you.
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Questions about Bhagavad Gita 12.19
Who says Bhagavad Gita 12.19, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 12.19, in Chapter 12, Bhakti Yoga (Bhakti Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 12.19 mean?
One who is equal in blame and praise, silent, content with whatever comes, without fixed possessiveness of home, steady in mind, and full of devotion, is dear to Me. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 12.19 for daily life?
Do not let praise or blame decide your identity. A creator should not become inflated by likes or broken by criticism.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 12.19 mean?
tulya-nindā-stutiḥ — equal in censure and praise; maunī — silent, given to inner stillness; santuṣṭaḥ — content; yena kenacit — with anything whatever (that comes); aniketaḥ — homeless, without fixed abode or attachment to a dwelling.
Where does verse 12.19 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 19 of 20 in Chapter 12, Bhakti Yoga. The next verse is 12.20.